i stay on the roof of the hospital lakeland medical center for 3 days before the coast guard rescued me my boss called me sunday nite to see if i could work because nearly all the hospital staff had evacuated. reserved me a room on the third floor and told me she would put me on the clock for 24 hrs. (received my check amonth and a half later and boy was it sweet) we had about 150 patients in the hospital. everything was running smmoth even after the hurricane hit, then the water came from out of nowhere, one minute i saw the stop sign looking out from the third floor 15 minutes later it was gone . our generators were on the 1st floor and the water started rising we had to take patients all the way up to the 3rd floor via the steps.at nite we check on the patients with flashlights . it was so hot that soon we just decided to camp out on the roof. helicopters flew all day and night. methodist hospital sent over for body bags. a couple of guys broke into the store across the street to get some canned goods, water drinks, bandages etc.we ran out of diapers one patient needed dialysis but with the grace of god we made it no one expired the coast guards airlifted all the patients first then came back to get us climbing into that that lil basket with the wind blowing i thought i was going to fall in the water. the coast guards guys were really nice and handsome. after getting airlifted off the roof of the hospital we were deposited on a dry stretch of land on the interstate and this is were the terror set in.thousands upon thousandsof people were out there the heat was so unbearable the bottled water was warm the military food was tasteless people were getting lost from their loved ones cellphones were not working bathrooms were impossible to use buses were lined up at the end of the interstate but not moving every hour or two one would come but getting on one was the problem people were bombarding the buses nearly toppling them over this is also another way people got lost from their loved ones you might manage to squeeze on the bus but your sister didnt and we didnt know where the buses were going at the time, but they took us to the airport where once again thongs upon thongs people were there.spended a day and a half there before boarding a plane that took us to austin texas upon landing the people were very organized greeting us with COLD water and snacks if were having relatives pick you up you got on one bus if you werent you went on the other bus fortunately we were getting picked up by some relatives of the people i evacuated with once i got to house i just wanted to take a bath i had on the same scrubs for 5 days a bath have never felt so so good i know i stayed in that bathtub for two hours or more home cooked food was absolutely divine made many phones calls everyone was scattered but safe i sent my son with my little brother ahead of the storm who sent him to memphis by his nanny cause at the time the didnt know if i was dead or alive so after a few days in texas i went to memphis to be by my son there were 18 people living in my son nanny,s house when i got there and memphis is were i still live 3 years after the storm still. i have been bless since coming here and think i will probably make it my permanent home. i brought my niece and sister here they stayed for 2 years but evently they moved back home to new orleans i have been back home several times and i miss my beloved city especially my friends from work and my church friends from new home on bullard but god have bless me so much i got a job [making 3 dollars more than my old job] a townhome and a car all in one month the population is not the same most people i know stayed put and some parts of the city is STILL in ruins but i will always loved my city katrina changed my life forever nearly wiped us off the map it is still mindboggling that an entire city evacuated the word katrina means to \"cleanse\" and that hurricane either made you or broke you god is a good god he may have to sometimes bring you down to bring you up he will not give you more than you can bear ive had my ups and downs but i know if i put him first in my life everything will be okay i attend greater imani church crichton college [also finishing up a course at southwest college]and my son will be graduating this yearkatrina will go down in history and it will forever be embedded in my memory pyb